Nicole Scherzinger may have the night off from playing Norma Desmond, but that doesn’t mean she’s taking it easy. “If you must know, tonight I have all my scripts out and my notes out,” she tells me over Zoom. “I’m actually going to go deeper.” This commitment to further immerse herself in the pitiful pathos of Norma in Jamie Lloyd’s striking Broadway revival of Sunset Boulevard is what has made Scherzinger the talk of the town. After a year stacked with major musical performances from Broadway divas like Audra McDonald, Megan Hilty, and Idina Menzel, Scherzinger’s gonzo yet nuanced take on the tragic film star is a tour de force, winning her an Olivier Award for best actress in London’s West End, and sparking Tony buzz here in New York.

“I’m constantly wanting to be better,” she says. “I’ve done, like, 300 shows of this. Tonight’s my night off and I’m thinking, How can I look at the text again? Where can I make new, more honest discoveries for Norma? How can I connect the dots even more?”